Dry your eyes
by jammyjen
Summary: Carter and Kem's relationship comes to an end.


Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. The lyrics are from a song by the The Streets called Dry your eyes.

Dry your eyes

As Carter left the ER the heavens opened and the rain began to pour down. He looked at the nights sky and realised it had been dark when he had arrived. I'm really working too much, he thought and made a promise to himself that he would cut down on his shifts, but he knew he would never fulfil this promise. Since the baby had died he had thrown himself into work and spent more and more time at the hospital and less at home, with Kem.

The house was in darkness as he let himself in the front door and through the gloom he saw her sitting in the half decorated living room, just as she had been every night since she came home from the hospital. This time, however, it was different she was surrounded by suitcases.

"What's going on?" he asked.  
"I'm going home" she replied.  
"To Africa?" he said".  
"Yes"   
"For how long?"   
"Forever"  
"But what about me, us?"   
"There is no more us, our relationship died when our baby died", Kem stood up and began to drag her cases towards the door.   
"But we can make it work" Carter strode over to where Kem stood and pulled her into a tight embrace.   
"No John we can't" Kem pulled away from him and they stood looking at each other.  
  
_In one single moment, your whole life can turn round  
I stand there for a minute, staring straight into the ground   
Looking to the left slightly, then looking back down  
The world feels like it's caved in, proper sorry frown  
_  
"I'll do anything Kem to make you stay, I'll cut back on shifts, I'll even give up work if you want me to"   
"No John, I can't let you do that"   
"I'll come back to Africa, we can try and make things work over there"   
"No John! I can't let you give up the life you love"   
"But I love you more Kem"  
"No you don't John, that's that whole point you don't love me"  
  
_I look at her, she stares almost straight back at me   
But her eyes glaze over, like she's looking straight through me   
Her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity   
When they open up she's looking down at her feet  
_  
"But I do Kem, I really do"   
"You don't John, I can see it, maybe you've convinced yourself that you do but I know different"   
Carter stared at her, speechless. What she was saying it seemed to ring true in his head but he couldn't accept it. He tried to think of what to say but no sentences formed in his throat. Instead he clutched her hands, tears pouring down his face.  
  
_She brings her hands up towards where my hands rested   
She wraps her fingers around mine with the softness she's blessed with   
She peels away my fingers, looks at me and then gestures   
By pushing my hand away to my chest, from hers  
_  
"I'm going to leave now John. I'm going to go and get on with the rest of my life and I want you to do the same"   
Carter looked at her through the veil of tears that now covered both their faces, he was hearing the words she was saying but they didn't penetrate that despair he was feeling.  
  
_And I'm just standing there I can't say a word   
Because everything is just gone  
I've got nothing   
Absolutely nothing  
_  
He pulled close and they embraced for the last time.  
  
_Trying to pull her close out of bear desperation  
Put my arms around her, trying to change what she's saying  
Pull my head level with hers so that she might engage in  
Look in to her eyes to make her listen again  
_  
The doorbell rang.  
"That's my cab, I've got to go"   
"No Kem, please"   
"Just let me go John, it's for the best"  
  
_She pulls away my arms, tightly clamped round her waist   
Gently pushes me back as she looks at me straight   
Turns around so she's now got her back to my face   
Takes one step forward, looks back, then walks away_  
  
She picked up her cases and walked out the door. She turned around, looked into his eyes and in that moment Carter understood all that she had been saying. She closed the door and Carter sank onto the floor and wept for what could have been and never will.  
  
_Dry your eyes mate  
I know it's hard to take, but her mind has been made up   
There's plenty more fish in the sea   
Dry your eyes mate   
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts   
But you've got to walk away now_

Thank for reading. Please review, this is my first ever fanfic so be gentle.


End file.
